Identification of Chinese Materia Medicas in Microscopic Powder Images

This paper describes an identification system for Chinese Materia Medicas （CMMs） in microscopic powder images. The imaging processing of the microscopic powder image is very complex because of the low contrast, blurry boundaries, overlapping objects, and messy background. Therefore, the object detection must segment the significant microscopic structures from the complex image. The objects are detected in these images using an adaptable interactive method. After identifying the significant microscopic structures, the system identifies 14 features belonging to three main characteristics. These features form a 14-dimensional vector that represents the microscopic structures. The multi-dimensional vector is then analyzed using a feature assignment algorithm that picks the most notable features to construct a decision tree with thresholds. The identification system consists of a coarse classifier based on the decision tree and a fine classifier using similarity measurements to rank the possible results. Tests on 528 images from 24 different kinds of microscopic structures show the system effectiveness and applicability.

Property theory of Chinese materia medica: Clinical pharmacodynamics of traditional Chinese medicine

The property theory of Chinese materia medica is one of the foundations of traditional Chinese medicine.The property of Chinese materia medica(PCMM)is a multi-dimensional expression of the effect of Chinese materia medica(CMM),and it is related to the clinical prescription that fully reflects the clinical effect evaluation of CMM in a holistic,systematic,and scientific way.This paper discusses the source,development,and application of the PCMM by considering not only the five dimensions that constitute the PCMM but also the recognition of the human body and disease as given in traditional Chinese medicine.This paper aims to provide theoretical guidance for the rational use and development of CMM.

P-glycoprotein mediated interactions between Chinese materia medica and pharmaceutical drugs

P-glycoprotein(P-gp)is an important transmembrane ATP-binding cassette(ABC)drug efflux transporter expressed in various human tissues such as the intestines,liver,kidneys,and bloodbrain barrier.It limits the intracellular concentration of xenobiotics by pumping them out of the cells,affecting drug pharmacokinetics and therapeutic effects.With its broad substrate specificity,it has the potential to remove a wide range of drugs from Chinese materia medica(CMM),including conventional medicines and active compounds.Increasing evidence has confirmed the superior therapeutic effectiveness of CMM in treating a wide range of diseases worldwide,as well as in conjunction with western drugs.As a result,herbal medicine-drug compounds have prompted widespread concern,with the majority of these interactions involving transporters such as P-gp.This review systematically summarizes the inhibition or induction of P-gp expression/function by active CMM compounds and the underlying regulatory mechanisms.It will aid in improving understanding of the synergistic or inhibiting effects associated with transporter P-gp as well as rational safety concerns for using CMM,particularly in combination with drugs.

Bio-characteristic profiling related to clinic:A new technology platform for quality evaluation of Chinese materia medica

Quality evaluation is a bottleneck restricting the modernization and internationalization of Chinese materia medica (CMM). Due to characteristics of multi-component, multi-efficacy, multi-target, the existing quality evaluation system still cannot fully meet quality control needs of CMM. Hence, the author put forward “Bio-characteristic profiling related to clinic, BPRC” academic concept, meanwhile, fully take the advantage of analysis method with clinical monitoring superiority or profiling characteristics, build up “BPRC” new technology platform, in order to realize “real-time, dynamic and full-range monitoring” new technologies of CMM quality evaluation system and promote the further development of CMM industry.

Based on FP-Growth Algorithm to Excavate Medication Rule of Chinese Materia Medica for Radiation Esophagitis

Objective:To find the medication rule of Chinese materia medica for treating radiation esophagitis through FP-Growth algorithm.Methods:By searching the three major literature databases such as Chinese Journal Full-text Database,VIP Chinese Sci-tech Journals Database,Wanfang Data,etc.from the database establishment to May 10,2020,88 effective documents and 91 prescriptions were screened.The medication frequency of prescription in the paper was extracted and sorted.Results:The frequency of medicinal property from high to low were:slightly cold,cold,balance,warm,cool,slightly warm,and great cold.The frequency of medicinal taste from high to low were:sweet,bitter,pungent,slightly bitter,salty,slightly pungent,sour,light,astringent.The frequency of channel tropism from high to low were:lung,stomach,liver,heart,spleen,etc.,and 10 herbal combinations with clinical significance were obtained.There was one prescription with good correlation strength in the clinical treatment of radiation esophagitis.Conclusion:The medication rule of Chinese materia medica for the treatment of radiation esophagitis is based on the principles of clearing away heat and detoxification,benefiting Qi(气)and nourishing Yin(阴),and stopping bleeding and removing phlegm.Heat-clearing medicine,tonic medicine,phlegmresolving,cough–relieving medicine and asthma-relieving medicine,blood-activating and stasis removing medicine were highly frequent used.The high-frequency association rules are nourishing Yin–clearing heat–generating fluid,removing toxin–cooling blood–benefiting Qi,benefiting Qi–invigorating spleen–stopping bleeding.It is stable and feasible to use FP-Growth algorithm to mine traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)to treat diseases.

Survey of dose-effect relationship in Chinese materia medica

The research on the dose-effect relationship in Chinese materia medica is delayed due to the complexity of its composition, multi-efficacy, multi-targeting and other factors. Many experts put forward relevant research ideas and methods and worked out more and more research results in literature, experimental and clinical categories because of the progress of statistical methods and scientific and technological means in recent years. In this paper, these results were preliminarily combed to show the basic situation of dose-effect relationship research in Chinese materia medica.

Clinical metabolic analysis combined with traceability of biosynthetic pathway:a new approach to quality marker of Chinese materia medica

Quality marker(Q-marker)of Chinese materia medica(CMM)plays an important role in quality control of CMM products.However,its research strategy and technique remain unclear.Based on the fact that quality standard of CMM should be associated with clinical efficacy,taking Jinqi Jiangtang tablet treating type 2 diabetes as an example,the Q-marker related to activity via the reverse analysis of drug metabolism in clinic and traceability of botanic biosynthetic pathways is discovered and validated.Therefore,we proposed a new research strategy of Q-marker of CMM with"Discovery of clinical active constituents as guidance,Reverse analysis of metabolic transformations as link,and Traceability of biosynthesis pathways as key",to improve quality control of CMM products.

First ISO International Standard on Chinese Materia Medica

ISO 18662-1：2017, Traditional Chinese medicine - Vocabulary - Part 1： Chinese Materia Medica （CMM） was officially released recently. The standard is the first terminology standard published by ISO/TC 249, Traditional Chinese medicine, which provides an important basis to standardize and uniform the terminology of traditional Chinese medicine in the international community.

Philosophy and Philology:Two Approaches of Commentating the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing(Shen Nong's Classic of the Materia Medica)in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

This paper tests the hypothesis that the commentary trend of the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing(Shen Nong’s Classic of the Materia Medica)arises alongside the fashionable philology of the time,or the aversion against the Jin-Yuan medical philosophy.After surveying 12 major commentaries,it is concluded that the situation is more complicated than a simple assertion.The seemingly opposite philosophy and philology approaches have been used eclectically to innovate the understanding of ancient traditional Chinese medicine texts.

Research progress in mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis(KOA)is a chronic degenerative Osteoarthritis disease.The majority of patients with knee osteoarthritis were elderly patients.The disease not only greatly affects the work and life of patients but also brings serious burden to families and society.The traditional Chinese medicine has a long history in China,which has shown a multi-pathway and multitarget mechanism for the prevention and treatment of knee osteoarthritis.According to the properties of Chinese medicine,it was divided into four categories:drugs to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis,drugs to clear heat,drugs to dispel wind dampness and drugs to tonify deficiency.In addition,the relevant literatures at home and abroad in recent five years were reviewed to summarize and generalize the mechanism of traditionalChinese medicine in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis,in order to provide reference for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with traditional Chinese medicine.

Identification of the material basis of the medicinal properties in Curcuma Longa L. to enhance targeted clinical application

Objective:To identify the relationship between the active compounds in turmeric(Curcuma Longa L.,C.Longa)and their medicinal properties,and clarify the chemical material basis of the medicinal properties in C.Longa.Methods:High throughput screening models of the thermo-transient receptor potentials(thermo-TRPs)and human taste type 2 receptors(hTAS2Rs)were established to evaluate the activity of the active compounds in C.Longa.The biological processes and distributions of the related targets of the active compounds were acquired by data mining.The above results were then used as basic data to comprehensively analyze the material basis of the medicinal properties of turmeric.Results:Curcumin inhibited TRPV1,TRPV2,TRPV3,and TRPA1,while demethoxycurcumin(DMC)inhibited TRPV3,TRPA1,and TRPM8.In terms of the 21 hTAS2Rs,the response values of hTAS2R38,hTAS2R16,and hTAS2R44 intervened by curcumin were ranked top three;the response values of hTAS2R3,hTAS2R1,and hTAS2R9 by DMC were in top three;the response values of hTAS2R47,hTAS2R39,and hTAS2R43 by bisdemethoxycurcumin(BDMC)were in top three.The biological processes related to active compounds primarily involved blood circulation,ossification,and regulation of the inflammatory response.Conclusion:Curcumin,DMC,and BDMC were identified as the material basis of the property of Chinese materia medica of C.Longa.Among these,curcumin and DMC may contribute to its warming effect in the four qi.Curcumin,DMC,and BDMC may lead to its bitter flavor,and the three active compounds were consistent with the meridian entry of C.Longa.Although different compounds play diverse roles in the four qi,five flavors,and meridian entry,they all were relevant to the efficacy of C.Longa.It is helpful to further understand the important role of the property of Chinese materia medica for the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine.

Achievements of the Compendium Bencao Tujing(Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica):A Preliminary Study

Bencao Tujing(Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica)is a brilliant and monumental compendium of materia medica by Su Song,which was published in 1061 and gathered ancestral knowledge from the Song dynasty as a legacy for posterity.The compendium emphasized the clinical applications of medicinal materials collected nationwide,which used illustrated atlases as references.The descriptions for each medicinal material subsumed the prescriptions containing it and were supplemented with relevant medical cases.Medical prescriptions predating the Song dynasty were included,which enhanced the clinical usefulness of the pharmacopoeia.The ancestral knowledge of materia medica was extensively merged with natural history throughout the compendium,which also made extensive reference to more than 200 Chinese classics,local gazetteers,and published works from the social and natural sciences.The inclusion of natural history and literature works changed the convention used in earlier pharmacopoeias to present medicines based solely on pharmacological analyses.The compendium also pioneered the inclusion of natural history in pharmacopoeia.Bencao Tujing helped establish China’s leading position in the field of materia medica.Su Song’s meticulous nature,truth-seeking attitude,and adherence to scientific thinking are truly worthy of emulation and promotion.

Production of Chinese Medicinal Herbs in North America:Challenge and Reconciliation

As the practice of traditional Chinese medicine developed in the United States since the 1970s,evidence has accumulated suggesting that an undetermined number of the herbs of the Chinese Materia Medica could be produced in North America.While some attempts have been made to establish production,growers are inhibited by lack of access to capital and technical support.The evidence in support of US domestic production–including(1)historical,(2)sociological,(3)ecological,and(4)agronomic factors–is reviewed.Economic obstacles to this type of production are described,as directly experienced by the farmers,Chinese herbal medicine practitioners,and organizers involved.When analyzed in reference to current trends,however,these economic obstacles appear,at least potentially,as temporary.Because popular demand supported the rise of traditional Chinese medicine practice and the growth of organic food production,these social movements could expand and promote conditions that favor domestic production of Chinese herbs.

Discovery of the relationship between bitter taste and bitter flavor (efficacy) based on hTAS2Rs

Objective:To explore the relationship between bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy),their character-istics were analyzed at the target and pharmacodynamic points.Methods:Compounds with bitter receptor activity were obtained by high-throughput screening models of the human bitter taste receptors(hTAS2Rs),which were used to analyze bitter taste.The efficacy of anti-asthma medications was used as an example to research bitter flavor(efficacy).The pharmacological effects of bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)were classified according to the functional modules.The coverage for the same targets or pharmacological effects in the overall protein interaction network(PIN)of bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)was analyzed to reveal their relationship.The effect of the compound polydatin with anti-asthma activation on hTAS2R14 was studied to verify the reliability of the aforementioned idea.Results:A total of 121 Chinese materia medica(CMM)compounds that activate hTAS2R10,hTAS2R14,and hTAS2R49 were obtained.The analysis results indicated that 108 same targets for bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)were obtained,accounting for 13.9%in the PIN of bitter taste and 72.5%in the PIN of bitter flavor(efficacy).The pharmacological effects shared by bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)accounted for 79%of the PIN of bitter taste and 81%of the PIN of bitter flavor(efficacy).The activating effect of the anti-asthma compound polydatin on hTAS2R14 was dose-dependent with EC 50 of 4.3 m M.Conclusion:In this study,the relationship between bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)has been demonstrated from the target and pharmacodynamic points,which are based on hTAS2Rs and anti-asthma effect.Bitter taste and bitter flavor(efficacy)exhibited a high correlation.This study provides a theoretical and scientific basis for the hypothesis that“the property theory of CMM is the clinical pharmacodynamics of CMM.”

Characterization and Comparison Analysis of WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants and Iso Standards of Chinese Materia Medica

Medicinal plants or Chinese materia medica(CMM)are now attracting worldwide attention as they have increasingly prominent advantages over chemical drugs in disease treatment and healthcare.Since the 1990s,World Health Organization(WHO)and International Organization for Standardization established the Technical Committee of Traditional Chinese Medicine(ISO/TC 249)have carried out the development of quality standards on medicinal plants or CMMs respectively,and a considerable number of monographs and international standards have been published.Since the two international organizations adhere to different principles,the standards they develop naturally have different emphasis.Driven by market demand and international trade,ISO mainly takes quality,efficacy and safety into consideration when developing standards,while WHO pays more attention to clinical practice,quality control and medication guidance.Up to now,there is a lack of comparative analysis on the records,background,principles,basic content,and main requirements of quality standards on medicinal plants or CMMs respectively published by WHO and ISO.Therefore,based on international standards of CMM developed by ISO/TC 249 platform and WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants,this paper systematically compares the purposes,selected principles,standard-developing process,basic content,and main quality requirements to summarize their similarities and differences,and find their merits,aiming to serve as a reference to the development of international standards for CMMs that helps them go global.

Development of Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica(HKCMM) standards

The development of HKCMM standards is one of the achievements of developing Hong Kong into an intemational centre for Chinese medicine. In order to enable more people concerned to have an intimate knowledge of this standard, the author was invited to introduce the development of HKCMM standards to readers, including： 1） the history of the project and the basis for legislative supports; 2） the composition and operation of the regulatory division, the research institution and the evaluation committee; 3） the progress of HKCMM standards; 4） the contents and features of HKCMM standards.

Rapid determination of pesticide residues in Chinese materia medica using QuEChERS sample preparation followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Pesticide residue analysis plays an important role in the quality control of Chinese materia medica.This paper reports the development and validation of an analytical method for the quantitative determination of the residues of 39 pesticides in 12 different matrices of Chinese materia medica.Sample preparation utilized the QuEChERS method with acetonitrile:1% aqueous acetic acid(9:1,v/v)as extraction solvent followed by sample clean-up by dispersive solid phase extraction using primary secondary amine sorbent and graphitized carbon black.Extracts were then analysed by gas chromatography coupled with electron impact mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode.Limit of detection(LOD)and limit of quantitation(LOQ)values were in the ranges 0.5-50 ng/g and 1-100 ng/g,respectively.The recoveries of the 39 pesticides were in the range 75-112% with precision(as relative standard deviation,RSD)<15%.The results show that the modified QuEChERS method allows rapid and sensitive analysis of multiple pesticide residues in Chinese materia medica.

Feature Extraction of Chinese Materia Medica Fingerprint Based on Star Plot Representation of Multivariate Data

Objective To study a novel feature extraction method of Chinese materia medica(CMM) fingerprint.Methods On the basis of the radar graphical presentation theory of multivariate,the radar map was used to figure the non-map parameters of the CMM fingerprint,then to extract the map features and to propose the feature fusion.Results Better performance was achieved when using this method to test data.Conclusion This shows that the feature extraction based on radar chart presentation can mine the valuable features that facilitate the identification of Chinese medicine.

New sensor technologies in quality evaluation of Chinese materia medica:2010–2015

New sensor technologies play an important role in quality evaluation of Chinese materia medica(CMM) and include near-infrared spectroscopy,chemical imaging,electronic nose and electronic tongue.This review on quality evaluation of CMM and the application of the new sensors in this assessment is based on studies from 2010 to 2015,with prospects and opportunities for future research.

Research and Development of New Chinese Materia Medica for Treatment of Refractory Hematopathy by Establishment and Application of Multiple Technique Platforms

Research Objective and Overview It is necessary to find effective Chinese materia medica （CMM） for the treatment of refractory hematopathy as commonly used prednisone, androgen and immune suppression agents of tendemonstrate poor efficacy and serious side effects.